By Anne Scheck
PLANNING COMMISSIONERS REVISE CODE; HANGAR-RELATED LAWSUIT IN AFTERMATH
In a move approved by the Independence Planning Commission, airplane hangars in the airpark community now are an exception to the “sheet material rule,” which previously barred them from being made with metal sides. Current zoning continues to prohibit metal carports throughout Independence.
However, since this past fall when that change was made, a lawsuit has been filed by a current resident over the proposed construction of an airpark hangar by new neighbors, a couple whose appearance at the planning commission apparently prompted the code revision.
Commissioners added the new language to the code after a fairly extensive discussion with airpark newcomers Kathleen and Richard Hill, who spoke at the meeting.
The discussion included assurances that metal-sided hangars were already present at the airpark. “I think those metal hangars are very consistent out there at the airpark,” Planning Commissioner Kate Schwarzler said, just prior to the vote. “It’s not like they are proposing something new and out of the ordinary that you can’t see other examples of,” she said.
However, several airpark homeowners later stated that hangars are supposed to have siding – not bare metal – a requirement that allows them to match the houses. The rule can be found in the airpark’s covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs), which state that hangars “must conform to the architecture style and be complementary to the associated home and community.” Exterior treatments are limited to brick, stucco, stone or natural or simulated wood, according to the guidelines.
Commissioner Schwarzler didn’t respond to repeated requests by Trammart News to clarify the specific metal hangars to which she had referred during the planning commission discussion.
At that meeting, City Planner Fred Evander pointed out that the airpark CC&Rs would take precedence over the city’s decision. The homeowners' association is free to administer their own restrictions “as they see fit,” he said.
The lawsuit, which was filed by Carole and Fred Krieg, whose house is adjacent to the new home construction, alleges that the proposed hangar doesn’t meet certain standards in the CC&Rs of the Independence Airpark Homeowners Association (IAHA). The IAHA also was named in the lawsuit. The IAHA, the Krieg plaintiffs and the Hills all were contacted by Trammart News about the litigation; None commented for publication.
(Disclosure: Anne Scheck, editor-publisher of Trammart News, owns a home in the Independence Airpark).
CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITTEE APPROVED
A resolution won approval – in a split vote – allowing Independence to form a joint committee on climate change with Monmouth, which has yet to officially join with its sibling city in the move. To read about Independence’s past effort at sustainable goal-setting – with Portland State University as a consultant – including such recommendations as vehicle purchases that reduce fossil-fuel reliance, follow the link:
https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=publicservice_pub
ON-STREET PARKING CHANGE AHEAD
Want to weigh in with your opinion on proposed parking changes for trailers and recreational vehicles? This month’s water-sewer billing was scheduled to include notification of a second reading for a parking ordinance that some city councilors felt needed more opportunity for public input. The final vote is slated for the May 25th city council meeting. The changes to parking regulations can be found at https://bit.ly/3tBxUh2, where feedback can be given.
PLANNING COMMISSIONERS REVISE CODE; HANGAR-RELATED LAWSUIT IN AFTERMATH
In a move approved by the Independence Planning Commission, airplane hangars in the airpark community now are an exception to the “sheet material rule,” which previously barred them from being made with metal sides. Current zoning continues to prohibit metal carports throughout Independence.
However, since this past fall when that change was made, a lawsuit has been filed by a current resident over the proposed construction of an airpark hangar by new neighbors, a couple whose appearance at the planning commission apparently prompted the code revision.
Commissioners added the new language to the code after a fairly extensive discussion with airpark newcomers Kathleen and Richard Hill, who spoke at the meeting.
The discussion included assurances that metal-sided hangars were already present at the airpark. “I think those metal hangars are very consistent out there at the airpark,” Planning Commissioner Kate Schwarzler said, just prior to the vote. “It’s not like they are proposing something new and out of the ordinary that you can’t see other examples of,” she said.
However, several airpark homeowners later stated that hangars are supposed to have siding – not bare metal – a requirement that allows them to match the houses. The rule can be found in the airpark’s covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs), which state that hangars “must conform to the architecture style and be complementary to the associated home and community.” Exterior treatments are limited to brick, stucco, stone or natural or simulated wood, according to the guidelines.
Commissioner Schwarzler didn’t respond to repeated requests by Trammart News to clarify the specific metal hangars to which she had referred during the planning commission discussion.
At that meeting, City Planner Fred Evander pointed out that the airpark CC&Rs would take precedence over the city’s decision. The homeowners' association is free to administer their own restrictions “as they see fit,” he said.
The lawsuit, which was filed by Carole and Fred Krieg, whose house is adjacent to the new home construction, alleges that the proposed hangar doesn’t meet certain standards in the CC&Rs of the Independence Airpark Homeowners Association (IAHA). The IAHA also was named in the lawsuit. The IAHA, the Krieg plaintiffs and the Hills all were contacted by Trammart News about the litigation; None commented for publication.
(Disclosure: Anne Scheck, editor-publisher of Trammart News, owns a home in the Independence Airpark).
CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITTEE APPROVED
A resolution won approval – in a split vote – allowing Independence to form a joint committee on climate change with Monmouth, which has yet to officially join with its sibling city in the move. To read about Independence’s past effort at sustainable goal-setting – with Portland State University as a consultant – including such recommendations as vehicle purchases that reduce fossil-fuel reliance, follow the link:
https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=publicservice_pub
ON-STREET PARKING CHANGE AHEAD
Want to weigh in with your opinion on proposed parking changes for trailers and recreational vehicles? This month’s water-sewer billing was scheduled to include notification of a second reading for a parking ordinance that some city councilors felt needed more opportunity for public input. The final vote is slated for the May 25th city council meeting. The changes to parking regulations can be found at https://bit.ly/3tBxUh2, where feedback can be given.
RSS Feed